(ri)1 Whiskey: The Best New Spirit of 2008

2008 was a good year. We had the opportunity to sample buckets full of alcohol, attended countless fancy functions at some of the city’s newest haunts, and saw a peak in traffic that should continue its glorious rise into 2009. Don’t worry reader, we’re not about to get all sappy on you. Some people like to wrap up the year with nostalgia filled top 10 lists, but not us. We plan on breaking out a bottle of the best new spirit that we’ve had the pleasure to try this year and toasting to the future.

Gasp – it’s a whiskey! As you know, we normally are gin people. Right Gin, DH Krahn, and Bulldog are all runners up for this award. The moment we took a sip of Beam Global Spirit's new ultra-premium brand of rye whiskey – (ri)1 – we knew that we had a winner. What’s that funny business with the parenthesis, you ask? Who cares, we say. Pronounced rye one – we predict that this silky smooth fire-water will find its way onto all of the city’s top bars in 2009 (as it should).

The brand is a double threat – perfect for mixing a delectable Manhattan but even better on its own with a cube or two. We were drawn to the spicy aromas but a bit scared by the alcoholic content. Although this spirit is a kicker – clocking in at 92 proof – it’s surprisingly subtle on the palate. You’ll certainly feel it after a few glasses, but when you’re sipping away the savory liquid you would never guess that it packed such a punch.

We suggest ordering a glass of (ri)1 when you’re feeling too sophisticated for straight Whiskey and not “old man” enough for Scotch. Us? We’ve got a glass of it ready to go for the last moments of 2008 (with a Champagne chaser – naughty us).  We can’t wait to raise our glass and take a sip when the ball drops. How fitting that we should savor our drink as much as we’ve savored this year.